High-visibility colors on gear

A

AlexSchira

Joined
May 12, 2007
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As much as I prefer natural tones on my gear and in fashion, lately I've been drawn into looking into high-visibility accents such as colored tape, larnyards and handles for the pure utility of it. It's one thing to have a PSK full of garish colors so you can find them and because you don't have to look at them...But what about for general gear? I'm not rushing out for an orange pack and yellow Crocs like all the other 'enthusiasts' crowding every outdoors place in Chicago, but with all these sharp investments I'd rather not lose it.

I can see a red larnyard on a knife or zipper pull (school colors were red and black, became a habit of mine to add red accents to dark outfits), possibly some reflective tape on a pack so it'll light up if you scan your light around, but what are other ways to make things easier to spot without looking like a traffic cone? Are there any colors besides hunter-orange that blend well with bushcraft-style hiking, or should I forget style in the woods and order some pink machete handles?
 
a good idea, something that i've thought about with stuff laying around a campsite. for the most part, i just try to stay in the habit of putting everything back in my pack as soon as i can after using it.

things like bits of reflective cord that work like stop signs would do well. they look pretty normal, a little shiny in the daytime, but in the dark when you shine a light on them they look really glowy.

more important than outside color, for me, is the inside color of a pack. all of these dark insides make it hard to see your gear! if i ever get around to making a pack, i think i'm going to line it in hunter orange. also makes a good signal turned inside out.

i also lanyard anything that doesn't see constant use to my pack (such as the compass) just in case it somehow falls out, it will still be attached.
 
A few things that I use are paracord lanyards on my knives. I usually weave blaze orange and a neutral tone together so it is visible buy not overly so. I plan on also getting a few of the tritium fobs so my more important items are still visible after dark. Another route that you could take is to have items that are unatural colors to the area but not neon such as blue or white. Patterns can also be used, straight lines tend to stick out in nature
 
Most everything I carry in my survival kit is blaze orange or brightly colored so I can easily find it. Most everything I carry in my regular pack is dull green, black or brown so I can blend into the enviornment. I guess it doesn't make a lot of sense, but I like to be able to just fade into my enviornment where people can't easily spot me.
 
I just had the same dilemma. Everything I own that is 'outdoors' oriented is some shade of green, brown or other earth color. Pack, clothes, everything. Needed a new rain jacket, and went for the green. Then I saw a kind of burnt orange color, and that got me thinking that maybe a little visibility isn't always a bad thing, for at least one thing in my pack. So I got the orange. Maybe if I ever need rescue they will actually be able to see me now. :D
 
These will be hard to miss

DSC_0045-1.jpg
 
although bright colors are good for a utility aspect, i dont think i could get past the look of alot of high vis gear (except some of breedens work).
 
AlexSchira said:
As much as I prefer natural tones on my gear and in fashion, lately I've been drawn into looking into high-visibility accents such as colored tape, larnyards and handles for the pure utility of it. It's one thing to have a PSK full of garish colors so you can find them and because you don't have to look at them...But what about for general gear? I'm not rushing out for an orange pack and yellow Crocs like all the other 'enthusiasts' crowding every outdoors place in Chicago, but with all these sharp investments I'd rather not lose it.

I can see a red larnyard on a knife or zipper pull (school colors were red and black, became a habit of mine to add red accents to dark outfits), possibly some reflective tape on a pack so it'll light up if you scan your light around, but what are other ways to make things easier to spot without looking like a traffic cone? Are there any colors besides hunter-orange that blend well with bushcraft-style hiking, or should I forget style in the woods and order some pink machete handles?
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A little off topic, but, you said your school colors were red and black, and you mention Chicago area. What school did you go to? My school colors were red and black too.
 
I like the idea of accents in high vis. I don't think you need to look like a day glow idiot to find your gear. But some Glow in the dark accents and blaze orange tape and things make things easier to find when dropped.

TF
 
I use blaze orange 550 cord for lanyards and stuff, I have a bright dry bag lining some of my packs, but that's about it. If I need rescue, my AMK Heat Sheet is plenty big and orange enough.
 
I got some blaze orange duct tape at wal mart, great stuff. I had 50 feet of orange 550 cord but it's getting scarce. Also it dulls after a while from sun and such.
 
I bought some Blaze orange 550 cord purely to put lanyards on my knives and 'telltales' on my bags. A 4'' loop at the most is all I use and it gives me enough to spot my kit in the woods and if there's a a bunch of gear I can single mine out quickly. I even do it on my bags when I go on vacation. That loop of Blaze orange saves a great deal of time when identifying which bags I need to grab off the carousel at the airport.
 
I find high visibility colours annoying, intrusive and somewhat "unnatural" (in feel, not in the absolute sense, as there of course are many bright natural colours, especially in a forest in autumn), and as they stand out far too much for my liking, I do not carry gear so coloured. I go out there to blend in with nature, not to glow like a beacon of modernity and yell out to all the living things around "Hey all you critters of the woods, here comes mr. noisy human, you can see me coming from two miles away by my nuclear explosion red boonie hat and two kilometers of orange paracord wrapped around my knife sheath!" ;) :D

I've never had the problem of misplacing stuff, but then, I don't carry all that much of the kind of small stuff that is easily misplaced. It helps to not spread the stuff around the camp site, if you have one. Just take out what you need and put it back when you're done, and it stays where it's supposed to be and doesn't go off disappearing into the woods. :thumbup:
 
I prefer the more subduded (except during hunting season!)...

But, by request, some of the gear I've made for folks have had color:

Pink.jpg


FBM-Orange.jpg


To each their own...
 
Ever since I lost a camo maglight camping when I was a teen, I have been looking for gear that stands out.

I am sure I will never regret buying the ornage handled RC-4 in my collection. In fact I was just thinking of making some home made blaze orange "micarta" slabs to replace the grilon ones on my BK10.
 
Liam Ryan said:
I got some blaze orange duct tape at wal mart, great stuff. I had 50 feet of orange 550 cord but it's getting scarce. Also it dulls after a while from sun and such.
Click to expand...

Ditto.
As the majority of my cutting implements (fixed & folders) are dark in color (black/OD/brown), a simple blaze orange lanyard of 550 does wonders if dropped/misplaced.

Of course, if true "stealth" is required, simply remove it and save it for another time.
 
I don't like hi-viz gear but...

I got this pack and it's been my EDC for a few years now -

31qNzfaM-0L._SL500_AA240_.jpg


The zipper pulls have hi-viz yellow accents - at first I hated it. But I grew to appreciate them - a very quick visual check tells me exactly what state the zippers are in, whether fully-zipped, half-zipped or oops, my backpack is open and I'm going to lose stuff! :eek: It also enables me to open my pack quicker since they are so easy to see.

But I haven't found much other use for hi-viz beyond the obvious blaze orange for hunter safety and tent/tarp lines that'll trip you up. My brain has worked just fine (so far... :D) at keeping track of gear when in the field without the aid of hi-viz.

My brother has a bright blue gore-tex jacket - I always poke fun at him when we're hiking by calling him a Smurf :D
 
I bought a nice camo wallet when i was young and in the army. In retrospect a camo wallet to carry in the jungle may not have been the wisest of choices :)
 
As you get older you will be glad to give up the nature look in favor of something that screams HERE I AM!!!!!!HERE I AM. Love that Breeden Orange. Love the Mora Red and Yellow and anything bright.

Looks are a distant second to functional and findable. IMO:)
 
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